As you may know, the summer of 2018 will be our 88th summer of Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch. With that longevity comes the need to update and replace older buildings, so last fall we began the reconstruction of our main camp kitchen and outdoor eating area. The new building will be a tremendous addition to camp, with modern and efficient equipment for our cooks, and an open eating area for campers and staff roofed by trusses with logs harvested from right here on the Ranch.
The construction has been going very well. We have a great crew and we are making good progress. A project this large and complex takes more than a year to complete, so for this summer we will be using our baking program kitchen in Gates Gables to prepare camp meals. An adjacent temporary eating area will be set up on Gates Gables lawn. Our goal will be to minimize disruptions to camp and to that end we have been planning for the necessary accommodations with our cooks and staff. Our baking program will continue by using other kitchens we have available in camp.
In the true Camp Trinity spirit, this project will be a collective effort of the extended camp community: from the many donors who furnished the funds to equip the new kitchen to all those folks who have (and may still!) lend a hand by peeling a log or slapping some mortar on a new rock wall. Like all buildings at camp, the new kitchen will be assembled by many hands, including those of campers and staff who want to participate. For example, this summer we will be practicing our timber framing skills with logs harvested during our Spring Work Weekends to assemble the log trusses that will support the new eating platform roof. This will be a unique opportunity for current campers to contribute to a project that will last for many generations of future campers.
If you have any questions about the project, or about our plans for the temporary kitchen, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. If you’re interested in lending a hand, please join us for a Work Weekend this spring! You can also keep up with our progress via the Kitchen Cams on our website.
Wonderful project. My regret is that we have not stayed informed as we would have come up in the Sprong to help build the frame and all wood components. So, for now, all we can do is send some financial assistance. If you read this between today, Aug 12 and next Sunday, Aug 17, let my son Quinn know, if he has not already, so he can join in on the completion or anything else ou need. Best,
Harvey, Paula & Oliver Goldstein